Dream Center Peoria teaches youths photography and life skills

PEORIA — A Dream Center Peoria after-school program is teaching youths about photography and seeking to give them useful skills for the future.

Since last summer, the Dream Center, 714 Hamilton Blvd., has hosted a photography class for youths 11 to 18. The class not only teaches them a trade but also interpersonal skills that can be beneficial in any future profession.

"The big thing I focus on is relationship building, with them learning how to do deal (with) relationships, how to deal with people, how to interact and talk to people, just making themselves available to have other adults come and pour into their lives," said Robbie Criss, Dream Center youth director. "All of this is helping them to prepare for the future, whether it be them sticking with the field of photography or just going off in the world."

The class is taught by Kelli Drake, owner of DRAKEphoto at 3316 NE Adams St., from 4 to 5 p.m. every Tuesday at the Dream Center. Class size varies from week to week. Sometimes it is two students. Other times it can be as many as seven to eight.

"These kids don't have a real consistent home life," Drake said. "So they're not always at school. So they're not always in class at this after-school program. So teaching a real curriculum is challenging. I thought I had kind of an order to teach one thing and the following week you build on that. It's hard to do when you have different kids all the time. There are definitely some that are pretty consistent, but then you have others that drop in occasionally. I wanted everybody to feel part of it and involved. So really what we're doing every week is shooting."

Drake has a small studio set up in Dream Center's basement. She pulls in youths from other Dream Center classes and they are often shooting photos of each other. Sometimes, though, they get pictures of a local drumline. The youths will also use bowls of fruit to study light, exposure and depth of feel.

Right away, Drake realized it was challenging to teach youths photography when all they had were old camera phones to work with. She applied for a grant and was awarded $1,000 by state Sen. Chuck Weaver, R-Peoria, and his organization Leaders Change Illinois. With that money and a little from her own pocket, she bought two DSLR cameras. Peoria Camera Shop donated warranties for both cameras. Drake asked for donations on Facebook and received a couple of camera bags, some SD cards, a lens and an extra battery, all of which added up, she said. Drake donated some equipment herself.

When he first started taking the class, Niyshawn Owens, 15, was excited about learning something he could not get in class. Owens is into sports. If something in that vein did not work out, he would consider doing photography for the long haul, he said.

If students approached her with serious interest in pursuing photography, she would encourage them to work for a studio. The best way to gain skill and knowledge is to do so, she said. Drake recently invited one of her students, who does not get an allowance, to take pictures at an event DRAKEphoto does every other month. She said she would pay him. It was a way to get him some money while also giving him real world experience.

College helps, if people can afford it, Drake said. It also helps to study business, she said, because only 20 percent of what she does is shooting photos. Understanding the business side of things is important, too.

Drake likes the idea of a follow-up class that focuses on photo editing. She also said it would be good if the classes were longer than an hour. Because the kids are coming from school, though, they are already pretty antsy, but it may be something to try during the summer, she said.

"It's like when you're there, it's hard to not feel like you want to just be there more," Drake said. "It's not anything I'd ever really planned or set out to do, but I am really happy that it's happened."

Tim Rosenberger can be reached at 686-3196 or trosenberger@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @PJSTimR.